Chapter 14
Adrian
“You needto leave Skylar alone,” Holden says.
I am sucking on a lollypop, and I turn away from where I was reading my book to find Skylar’s jailor. “What?”
“You need to leave her alone. You’re not good for her.”
I snort. “You think you are?”
“I’ve known her my entire life, and I can safely say that I know how to make her feel safe.”
This guy doesn’t have a clue. Skylar doesn’t want to feel safe. She wants to explore, experiment, live, have fun. I recognize it inside her because it’s inside me. We’re both wanting something more out of life.
“Well, when she wants to go back to your way of a prison, sorry, life, then I won’t argue.”
“You took her to a damn fight. She could have got hurt.”
“First, she didn’t get hurt, and if there was ever any danger, I’d have gotten her out of there. I’m not a fucking asshole. I have no intention of ever hurting her.” Putting my book away, I stand up so I’m no longer being glared down at. One thing I don’t like is someone trying to intimidate me. I don’t go with that shit. Not now, not ever.
“Stay away from her.”
“I’ll stay away when she wants me to stay away. Until then, that’s not going to happen.”
I stare him down until he turns on his heel and leaves. Holden and Alex can go fuck themselves if they think for a second that I am going to back down.
I’m heading toward the library when I spot the roommate that had turned up with Holden.
She holds her hands up as I approach. “Can I say that I come in peace?”
“What the fuck for?”
“I wasn’t there to cause any trouble. I’m rooting for you and Sky, honestly. She needs to let loose, otherwise all of that tension is just going to explode, and it’s not going to be in a good way. I’m thinking scary, horror movie shit.”
I like Claire. She is weird, and funny, and back to being a little weird again.
“At least someone is. Where is Sky?” I ask.
“She’s in the library again. I think it’s the only place she likes. Weird, huh? She’s my girl.” Claire tucks some hair behind her ear. She isn’t flirting. “I’m really sorry about Holden. I think he has a thing for Sky, and obviously, it’s not really working how he expected.”
“Sky told me she had a crush on him, and that she was over it.” After the fight, we had hung out for a couple of hours. She didn’t want to go straight back to the dorm in case she bumped into Holden.
“Ah, so at least she hasn’t been keeping shit secret.” Claire makes a clicking sound. “I’ve got to head to class. See you around, buddy.”
I laugh as I make my way toward the library. Ever since the fight, I’ve made myself stay away from her. I wanted to give her a chance to know what she wanted. No pressure. No demands.
Entering the stuffy library, I watch as several girls turn my way. I’m so not interested, and I look around the main tables. There’s no sign of Skylar anywhere. Going toward the stacks, I start to look through them again. This brought me back to the second time I saw Skylar. She’d come straight to the library, and tried to hide amongst the books.
Back in the literature section, I find her on the floor, several books open again. This time, she is making notes rather than just reading.
Her hair is up in a ponytail, and she is wearing a plain white shirt with torn jeans. She looks cute as well. There is a pencil behind her ear and a pen in her hand. She is scribbling away, completely oblivious to being watched.
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” I say, startling her.
She grabs her chest and turns toward me. “Adrian, you scared me.”
“I told you I’d stop by, and we’d hang out, didn’t I?”